Gooding Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison on Child Pornography Charges

GOODING, Idaho (KLIX) – A 36-year-old Gooding man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on child pornography charges.

Yazmani Gomez-Sandoval was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boise to 240 months in prison, followed by a life-term of supervised release for possession of child pornography. Gomez-Sandoval pleaded guilty on June 13.

U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced the news in a press release on Monday.

“This case demonstrates the importance of investigating those persons involved in possessing, receiving, distributing and producing child pornography,” Davis said in the prepared statement. “Often, persons involved in child pornography also have committed hands-on sex offenses.”

Such was the case with Gomez-Sandoval.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in June 2017 identified Gomez-Sandoval as one of many individuals accessing an online chat room and trading images and videos of child pornography, court records show. On at least five occasions, the news release explained, Gomez-Sandoval posted to the chat room digital video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

After obtaining a search warrant in December 2017, HSI agents searched Gomez-Sandoval’s residence and discovered about 71 images and 15 videos depicting child pornography. He later admitted to agents that he accessed the online chat room and traded images of child pornography.

Gomez-Sandova also admitted that he had sexually abused a young 6- or 7-year-old child in Gooding, according to the news release, and had sexually abused three other children between the ages of 4 and 6 while in Mexico between 2003 and 2006.

“By focusing on these investigations, we may be preventing the future sexual abuse of a child,” Davis said. “I commend Homeland Security Investigations for their efforts in this case. Thanks to their diligence, Mr. Gomez-Sandoval was held responsible for his actions, and no longer represents a threat to children in Idaho.”

Special Agent in Charge of HIS Seattle Brad Bench added,

“We are dedicated to removing these dangerous predators from the community. Combating individuals who prey on our most vulnerable, our children, is of the utmost importance to HSI and our law enforcement partners. We must protect our children from those who seek to harm them.”